50 nuggets of wisdom every parent should pass on to their kids

Emma Elsworthy

Parents hand down the same nuggets of wisdom to their children that their own parents did - including ‘get an education’ and ‘always try your best’.

A study of 2,000 adults, commissioned by Skipton Building Society, revealed two thirds find themselves churning out the same old clichés that have been passed down through generations.

The favourites are ‘you don’t get something for nothing’ and ‘put money aside for a rainy day’ and ‘if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all’.

Financial advice features often with phrases like; ‘never spend money you don’t have’, ‘look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves’, ‘ put money aside for a rainy day’ and ‘always have two months’ rent/mortgage saved’.

‘Always wear clean underwear’ and ‘never let your petrol tank go lower than a quarter full’ are among other tips from parents.

Seven in 10 adults admitted they often catch themselves mid-sentence and think they sound like their mother or father, while a further 36 per cent frequently think they’re turning into their own parents.

But perhaps that’s no bad thing, with a whopping 72 per cent of people admitting they do still live by the advice their parents gave them when growing up - and as such still try not to eat cheese before bedtime, always use a hand cream, and try to eat with their mouth closed.

Stacey Stothard, Skipton Building Society, said: “It’s great to see so many people admit to living by the advice given to them by their parents.

“Passing on life lessons and philosophy should never be underestimated, for many people they directly attribute this to getting into the discipline of planning and saving for their future.”

Here are the top 50 nuggets of wisdom parents around the country are passing on to their kids: